Tag: Dan Hughes

One hard rock CD that has been extremely illusive, and hard to get has been Sword’s debut Metalized.

Dave Mustaine once called this one of his top 10 Metal CD’s of all time. With that in mind, I knew I had to seek this one out. Finally, after many unsuccessful purchases and auctions, I landed a copy.

Does this disc live up to Mustaine’s opinion of it? I am not so sure about that, but Metalized is a damn good Metal disc. Sword is a Canadian metal band that consists of Rick Hughes on vocals, Mike Plant on guitars, Mike Larock on bass, and Dan Hughes on drums.

Sword opened for Metallica on the 1986 Master of Puppets tour in support of this disc, but I would not consider a thrash album, but pure heavy metal. This band reminds me of Savatage, and a little bit of Armored Saint.

Rick Hughes throaty screams are very similar in style to Jon Oliva. Mike Plant absolutely shreds on guitar, and the rhythm section of Mike Larock and Dan Hughes are second to none. Metalized is full of excellent vocals, great guitar work, heavy bass and thunderous drums that will appeal to 80’s hard rock fans.

My favorite tracks are F.T.W. (Follow the Wheel), Stoned Again, Out of Control, The End of the Night and Runaway.

Stoned Again

Metalheads are sure to love this disc. Do not hesitate to pick this one up, if you ever see a copy. It is hard to find, but worth the pursuit!

Aquarius Records released a Best of Sword in 2006, and that is far easier to pick up than Metalized.

Either disc would be a great addition to your hard rock collection!. For more info on Sword, check out the band’s myspace page.

Rating: Out of 10

Track Listing:

1. F.T.W.
2. Children of Heaven
3. Stoned Again
4. Dare to Spit
5. Outta Control
6. End of the Night
7. Runaway
8. Where to Hide
9. Stuck in Rock
10. Evil Spell